Genetics Review
1. In Mendelian genetics, one version of a factor is said to be dominant to the other version of the
same factor. Explain what this means.
2. Describe the significance of doing Punnett squares in terms of predicting genotypes.
3. Define the terms genotype and phenotype.
4. Explain the difference between codominance & incomplete dominance.
5. In some chickens, the gene for feather color is controlled by codominance. The allele for black is
B and the allele for white is W. The heterozygous phenotype is known as erminette (black and
white spotted).
○ What is the genotype for chickens with black feathers?
○ What is the genotype for chickens with white feathers?
○ What is the genotype for erminette chickens?
○ If two erminette chickens were mated, what is the probability that they would produce
chicks with black feathers? White feathers?
○ What is the probability that the two erminette chickens mentioned would have a chick
with black feathers and then a chick with erminette?
6. Andalusian fowls are a type of chicken native to Spain. Feather color is controlled by incomplete
dominance. The possible feathers types or bluish (B), greyish (G) and bluish-grey is based on
the heterozygous genotype. If a bluish chicken is crossed with a greyish chicken, what is the
probability of the offspring having bluish feathers? Explain your reasoning.
7. Two parents have the following blood types: the mother is A type blood, and the father is B type
blood.
○ Identify the possible genotypes of the mother and father.
○ Is it possible for the two parents to have a child with O blood despite the fact that neither
is identified as having O blood? Explain.
○ If the mother's actual genotype is IA i and the father's blood type is IB i, what is the
probability of their child having AB blood?
8. What does it means to say that a trait is "sex-linked"? Why can't a male be a carrier of a recessive
disease like hemophilia?
Answers:
1. The Dominant alleles are the characteristics that predominate and that are most commonly
expressed. Unlike the Recessive alleles. The recessive alleles are in the organism only that the
dominant allele is preventing these alleles from being expressed, so they have least probability to
show up.
Example:
If your dad has the allele for Black hair, your mom has the allele for brown hair, and you
have black hair, the dominant allele is the Black color (B), but that doesn’t mean that you
don't have the allele from your mom for brown hair (b). It doesn’t show up because it was
the recessive allele, but you have this allele saved in your genetics.
2.
➔ The Punnett squares give us the opportunity to know how the alleles are going to
combine.
➔ The Punnet squares can predict the genotype result of the crossing of specific alleles.
3.
➔ Genotype: It’s the genetic information of an organism. We can’t see it with the naked eye.
➔ Phenotype: Are the physical characteristics that we can observe with the naked eye. It’s
the result of the expression of the genotype.
4.
➔ Codominance occurs when neither of the heterozygous alleles is dominant over the other
and they both manifest in the phenotype.
➔ Incomplete Dominance occurs when the two heterozygous alleles are expressed but the
result is a mix of the two alleles(Mix phenotype or an intermediate phenotype).
5.
➔ BB is the genotype for chickens with black feathers.
➔
➔ WW is the genotype for chickens with white feathers.
➔
➔ BW is the genotype for erminette chickens.
➔
➔ 25% of chicks with black feathers. (BB) / 25% of chicks with white feathers. (WW)
BW X BW
B W
B BB BW
W BW WW
➔
➔
➔ 25% X 50%= 12.5% of having a chick with black feathers and then a chick with
erminette.
➔ BW X BW
B W
B BB BW
W BW WW
6.
➔ The probability of the offspring having bluish feathers is 0%.
➔ We can’t have an offspring having bluish feathers because all the crossings that we have
are heterozygotes (BG), having phenotypes composed by both alleles. If we want an
offspring with bluish feathers we will need one (BB) genotype in our crossing, so the
bluish color can show.
BB X GG
B B
G BG BG
G BG BG
7.
➔ The mother genotypes can be: I A I Aor I A i
➔ The father genotypes can be: I B I Bor I B i
➔ Yes. The parents can have a child with O blood type if their mother genotype is I A i and if
their father genotype is I B i. We can see below in the punnet square that these parents will
have a 25% probability of having a child with O blood type because the genotypes of his
or her parents cross and form the genotype (ii), the one that represents O blood.
A B
I iXI i
A
I❑ i
B B
I A B
I I I i
A
i I i ii
➔ The probability of these parents to have a child with AB blood is 25%.
A B
I iXI i
A
I❑ i
B B
I A B
I I I i
A
i I i ii
8.
➔ When we say that a trait is sex-linked it’s because is tied to the sex chromosomes (X,Y),
the ones that determine the biological sex.
➔ The males can’t be carriers of the recessive disease called hemophilia because they don’t
have a heterozygous genotype. They have (XY). To be carriers of this disease it is needed
to have the two X. One allele that is normal and another allele that it’s recessive.
